The Congo Basin rainforest spans 500 million acres across six African nations. Known as the planet's "second lung," it absorbs nearly 1.5 billion tons of carbon dioxide per year, making it as important in regulating global climate change as the Amazon. It is also home to more than 130 million people and 400 mammal species, some of which are found nowhere else in the world.
Without the Congo Basin rainforest, the world has almost no chance to meet global targets to limit temperature rise and reverse biodiversity loss.
While the entire world depends on the Congo Basin rainforest as a carbon sink, multiple countries rely on it as a source of food, freshwater, and economic opportunities. As direct stakeholders of this vital ecosystem, they hold the keys to our global destiny.
For conservation to succeed, Congo Basin communities need strength and resilience. Taking their lead, the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) uplifts communities to safeguard nature while investing in their livelihoods. Their ability to thrive at a local scale underpins human well-being globally.
That's why we are urging leaders to:
- Put people, like those living in and around the Congo Basin rainforest, at the center of conservation solutions.
- Commit to financing conservation in ways that channel resources to people on the front lines of protecting, restoring, and sustaining vital natural resources that have value to us all.
- Elevate nature as an essential climate change solution.
The world needs the Congo Basin rainforest to meet global targets to limit temperature rise and reverse biodiversity loss. Add your name to join AWF and ensure that Earth's second lung delivers for people and nature.
